Apparently Miss USA contestants aren't allowed to share their opinion on a topic even when directly asked by a "judge."

Our own Miss California was asked whether other states should follow Vermont's precedent in legislating samesex marriage.

Carrie Prejean tactfully responded, "In my family, I . . . believe marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised."

This response caused the judges to dramatically lower her scores to ensure she wouldn't win the title. Miss California finished runner-up, and many judges admitted she was the front-runner prior to her answer.

One judge, Perez Hilton, went so far as to discredit her further and call her names on his blog. I thought people are allowed the freedom to have their own opinions and beliefs.

In the November election, opponents of traditional marriage shouted far and wide how they were seeking tolerance. Well, when you call a person names and vindictively seek to damage a person because of their opinion to a question you asked, that's not very tolerant.

Once again, those seeking tolerance are exposed for their true goal of silencing all who don't support their radical agenda.

In his tirade, Perez Hilton, went on to claim, "Miss USA should represent all Americans. And with her answer, she instantly was divisive and alienated millions."

My response is simple. Miss California Carrie Prejean may not represent all Americans, but she does represent tens of millions of Americans in 30 states, including California, that have passed constitutional amendments to protect the definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman. Kelly Taggart Newbury Park